The re-elected Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi, has pledged to fight corruption and restore open government after voters repudiated Islamic fundamentalism.

The polls decimated the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), wiped out the fledgling party of the former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and gave the ruling Barisan National coalition one of its biggest majorities since independence in 1957.

However, PAS narrowly held onto the state of Kelantan following a recount. The Chief Minister in the seat, Nik Aziz Nik Mat, had said PAS supporters were more likely to get to heaven than those who voted for the coalition.

A political scientist, Chandra Muzaffar, said the defeat of PAS carried an international lesson. "The Barisan Nasional defeated the political Islam of PAS by a fair and just electoral process and with a certain kind of dignity," he said.

As counting continued yesterday, the coalition looked set to take 195 seats in the 219-seat national parliament, outstripping the two-thirds majority Mr Abdullah had sought as an endorsement of his new leadership.

PAS, which had pressed for an Islamic state in multi-racial Malaysia, lost one of the two states it controls, narrowly held the second and was likely to have its representation in the national parliament slashed from 26 to five seats.

Keadilan, the party formed from the protest movement against the 1998 sacking of Mr Anwar - and his later jailing on trumped-up sex and corruption charges - lost four of its five seats. Anwar's wife, Dr Wan Azizah, held her constituency by 28 votes.

It is a stunning victory for Mr Abdullah, 64, the softly spoken and untested former deputy prime minister, who inherited the leadership when Dr Mahathir Mohamad retired in October after 22 years in the job.

Claiming victory just before 2am yesterday at the Kuala Lumpur headquarters of his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the dominant government party, Mr Abdullah vowed to make Malaysia "safe and peaceful for everyone".

Analysts said the strength of his victory would silence any rivals within UMNO and give him a clear hand to tackle the culture of money politics that eroded support for the party in its heartland over recent years.

Already Mr Abdullah has endorsed the prosecution on corruption charges of a former cabinet minister and the former head of the national steel company. Officials have said another 18 high-profile cases are being examined by prosecutors. Some are believed to involve UMNO officials.

A theology graduate and the son of an Islamic scholar, Mr Abdullah pulled the religious rug from under PAS, promoting "moderate and progressive" policies for Malaysia's Muslim majority.

In Terengganu state, which PAS wrested from the coalition in 1999, the opposition party suffered a humiliating defeat, losing all but four seats in the 33-seat state assembly.

The Terengganu Chief Minister and PAS national leader, Abdul Hadi Awang, who narrowly held his own seat, was reported to be close to tears as he met supporters at his home in the state capital.

In neighbouring Kelantan, the opposition narrowly held power with 24 seats for PAS, and 20 to the Barisan Nasional coalition.

The only clear success for the opposition was the Democratic Action Party winning 10 seats and returning to parliament its leader, Lim Kit Siang, and deputy leader, Karpal Singh.